2010

8 ways to get what you want from your boss

Thinking about asking your boss for a raise, flex time, or permission to telecommute? Wishing you had eight tips from me to maximize your chances of getting what you want? Then you’ll want to check out the guest post that I wrote for NPR’s Marketplace website, which, for a huge public radio fan, was — […]

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how to explain you were fired, when interviewing

If you were fired from a recent job, you’re probably dreading being asked about it in an interview. Is there any way to tell the truth without killing your chances of getting the job? Fortunately, yes. There are five keys to handling this well: 1. First, before you can formulate a good answer for why […]

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angry boss writing angry memos

A reader sent me a link to these fantastic memos from a Tiger Oil CEO in the 1970s. They are awesome. Some excerpts: “I swear, but since I am the owner of this company, that is my privilege, and this privilege is not to be interpreted as the same for any employee. That differentiates me […]

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should you have to buy office supplies with your own money?

A reader writes: This past week, my boss’s boss paid a visit to our branch. He was telling me that he wants to see beverages, candy and snack-type foods available for when clients visit. He reminded me that corporate does not provide petty cash, and so I would be expected to pay out of pocket […]

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should I work for free to get experience?

A reader writes: I’m an engineer with a technical job in the pharmaceutical industry. However, I really want to work as an engineer at a large corporation that produces chocolate and confectionery products. I have some relevant training and plenty of transferable skills, but no direct experience in the food or confectionery industry. I am […]

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help, my bullying ex-boss is out of control

A reader writes: A year ago, I took a part time job while my daughter was at school. It was for a pet-sitting company walking dogs. I was an independent contractor. While I knew the owner was passive-aggressive, I learned to just limit my contact and did what I had to do and developed a […]

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over-sharing in your out-of-office messages

A reader writes: I work in R&D for the computer industry, where technical staff have few meetings with customers and generally are given a fairly flexible schedule. It’s not uncommon for people to send to a broad team mailing list (~20-50 people) messages like: “I’ll be in around 10:30. The contractors are just starting to […]

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